"This sucks for everyone: the deceased, the community, and the officers involved. I sincerely hope everyone can avoid leaping to conclusions or assigning blame until all the facts are in. For now, it's enough just to acknowledge it was a tragedy."

Heimsness was suspended for fifteen days for using excessive force in connection with a police response in 2001. Heimsness fired gunshots at the tires of a fleeing suspect's car in downtown Madison's Lake Street ramp.

In 2010, the city of Madison paid a $27,000 claim to Jacob Bauer over what the Isthmus newspaper reported was listed by the city controller as "MPD officer used excessive force" in connection with actions by Heimsness.

Police reports show Heimsness kicked Bauer as he tried to arrest the man in a downtown bar on Dec. 29, 2006. Reports show a bar employee called 911 in reaction to Heimsness's treatment of Bauer. But reports also show another bar employee stated Heimsness' actions were appropriate, given Bauer's conduct in the bar and his resisting arrest.

Heimsness is the treasurer of the Madison Professional Police Officers Association. In a newsletter to union membership on candidates for association positions, Heimsness referenced being disciplined.

"I have been involved in representing members undergoing disciplinary procedures for many years and have always sought to be the strongest advocate for our members as well as a buffer for them in those proceedings," Heimsness wrote. "No joke there, as I consider this to be the most important aspect of serving on the board. The reason I initially ran for a seat on the board was to give back after I was the focus of an investigation. I understand what it is like to be under that microscope and how important it is to have a union representative there on your side."

In 2003, Heimsness received a commendation for preventing the escape of an armed suspect.

What an absolutely gut-wrenching story. I'm sure everyone here understands that Walter can't come and clear his name even if he desperately wants to, and I suspect he does. I suspect he's going through a terrible time right now.

But the family and friends of Paul Heenan are surely devastated by this loss. I barely knew the guy and feel terrible about his death, all of my memories of him were nothing but positive. I can't imagine how this tragedy impacts those who knew him best.

Prof. Wagstaff wrote:I will re-post exactly what I said in the first thread on this topic:

"This sucks for everyone: the deceased, the community, and the officers involved. I sincerely hope everyone can avoid leaping to conclusions or assigning blame until all the facts are in. For now, it's enough just to acknowledge it was a tragedy."

You know what is bad taste? Selective suppression of free inquiry and free discussion. On an internet forum of all places.

Here's snoqueen in the other thread:

Re: Baldwin Street Shootingby snoqueen » Sat Nov 10, 2012 1:53 pm

I'm around there all the time too. Yesterday was so weird, they had the block taped off and glum-looking cops were patrolling the edges and we had no idea what was wrong. It's an extreme tragedy for a lot of people and I feel terrible for everyone involved.

My own thought, unsubstantiated by anything at all, was that given the time of night, maybe the dead man was very high and out-of-control. I guess my mind was trying to find a way to exonerate everybody and blame it on drugs, which probably isn't fact-based thinking on my part. So don't anybody take it and run with it.

Reaction to that remark from Kenneth Burns and Jason Joyce? Nothing. Shaming for suggesting, while friends and family are grieving, that the deceased was abusing drugs or substances? None.

Reaction from Kenneth Burns and Jason Joyce to my questioning whether the killing could have been a suicide by cop: shaming, suppression.

The self-appointed taste police here are trigger-happy.

Btw, I'm heartened by what is revealed by my detractors: their abhorrence at the idea of self-murder. As a means of deterring self-murder, that abhorrence should be more freely and widely expressed.

So +1 for that, guys.

Last edited by Meade on Mon Nov 12, 2012 11:04 am, edited 1 time in total.

Meade, I don't give a rip what you think about me or my comments, but for the sake of the music community, the police community, the east side, the forum, many individuals, and their friends and families, could you fucking put a cork in it for a while?

snoqueen, take a look in the mirror. Cork your own thoughts and speech if you choose.

This was a home invasion that led to a killing. And many of you forons, including the administrator, Jason Joyce, want to control what is and what is not appropriate or "tasteful" speech, how and what should and should not be discussed.